September 09, 2014

"…and considering what the world is now, with all the misery, conflict, destructive brutality, aggression, tremendous advancement in technology, and so on… it seems to me, though man has cultivated the external world and has more or less mastered it, inwardly he is still as he was: He is still brutal, violent, aggressive, inquisitive, competitive. And he has built a society along these lines." ~ Jiddu Krishnamurti

If you could sum up in three words the biggest problem with the world today, what would those words be? If this problem were a disease, what is the cure? Before providing your own answers, let's qualify the question further...

When I say "problem" I mean a primary challenge, a root cause of deterioration, the greatest threat to ourselves and to the earth. There is certainly no shortage of complaints about what is wrong with the world. But lamenting about the state of modern humanity is actually among the worst of problems in itself: We are quick to complain but slow to solve. If we spent half the amount of time thinking of solutions as we do citing the problems, the world would be a better place to live.

Furthermore, even when we go beyond the complaints and accurately identify problems, we still miss proper identification of the real cause(s) of the problem(s). In different words, we overlook the disease by focusing on symptoms.

So let's go ahead and get our list of complaints and symptom recognition out of the way before arriving at a solution or cure. Again, to narrow and clarify our thoughts, let's use only three words to describe them:

Extreme Voices Dominating

Expanding World Conflict

Too Much Ignorance

Fearing Wrong Threats

Rising Senseless Violence

Broken Political Systems

Unsustainable Debt Levels

Rich Getting Richer

Disappearing Green Space

Declining Social Contact

All of the items in the list are symptoms that are commonly recognized, analyzed and complained about in the world today. Most of these are interrelated, and some are causes or effects of eachother, but the disease is still not diagnosed and thus the cure remains out of sight.

The key phrase to identifying the solution or cure is out of sight. It is rare to find something if you are not looking; it is impossible to see anything if you are not awake.

And thus we have the biggest problem...

Disconnection from Reality

What makes the disease, Disconnection from Reality, so difficult to cure is its near-perfect design: The virus only invades unconsious minds, which are in vast supply in the world today.

The human ego increases the disconnection because it easily finds information sources that confirm its biases and narrow pre-conceived notions about the world. Therefore there is rarely any reason to interact with information sources that disagree with one's worldview, except for the occasional, ego-gratifying task of arguing against an opposing worldview from another unconscious human being or group.

The disease spreads further because unconsciousness tends to degrade the host's well-being, which has them searching for escapes (more illusions) that only further disconnects them from reality.

Therefore, if you think of the worst problems in the world today, including the three-word examples you already read, they all stem from some form of disconnection or misunderstanding, which are sub-symptoms, if you will, arising from programming, conditioning and ego, none of which can take place in a conscious mind.

Now, take another look at the symptoms again and understand how they are symptoms of the disease, Disconnection from Reality:

Lack of Understanding: When we fail to see, respect or at least tolerate the perspectives of other people, we create separation, conflict, and related problems. This is the work of ego: We fail to listen because the ego only listens to respond. We are knowingly or unknowingly rejecting and disconnecting from reality, the only place where peace, love and understanding can be found.

Extreme Voices Dominating: The world is made to be much more complex, frightening, and contentious than it really is because the loudest voices, which are also the extreme ones, are magnifying the wrong problems (or creating ones where none exist). The way we connect to (or rather disconnect from) the world is primarily through some form of media, which includes network television, the Internet, and social media. A 10-second sound bite from one radical individual or an image of a few dozen people performing a disturbing act can color our perspective of an entire community or nation.

Expanding World Conflicts: This is an example of a symptom rooting from other symptoms, such as Lack of Understanding and Extreme Voices Dominating. The only conflicts in the world are in the minds of human beings. These conflicts exist but they are not real. Can you see the difference?

Rising Senseless Violence: An example here includes school shootings. When children have absent parents, a broken home, extreme exposure to illusory and violent games, and either undiagnosed or overly-diagnosed psychological problems, their potential for criminal violence increases because their disconnection from reality is far beyond the "normal" disconnection.

Broken Political System: Politicians today do not get elected based upon the substance of their ideas but on the effectiveness of their illusions. Money does not win elections; money buys higher quality illusions in greater quantities. In a world of illusion, the best illusionists rule. The individuals best suited to serve in government may not even run for office because they refuse to play the deceptive game. This has always been true to some degree but more so with today's information technology.

Overcoming the 'Crisis in Consciousness'

The challenge that still remains is how do we implement the cure? How do we connect to reality? The first steps toward connecting with reality is identifying the disconnections. Illusions are no longer illusions when they are recognized.

The Information Age is one of knowledge, which is not the same as wisdom. Knowledge is superficial; it is shallow; it has breadth but it has no depth. It is all brain and no mind.

Most people stumble from pleasure to pleasure, doing their best to manufacture happiness. However happiness stretches and it thus becomes increasingly difficult to reach.

Computers, hand-held devices, social media, print media and everything you see on television is designed to distract and attract your attention, to convince you to buy the things, to become the advertised identity.

However, you are not the things; you are your attention; and if you are constantly distracted, you leave little possibility to be authentic, to be your Self; you become fragmented, others become fragmented, and so the world becomes fragmented.

If you see this, you may have already been aware of the disconnections. Now all that is required to come closer to curing the disease of Disconnection from Reality is to make someone else aware...

August 12, 2014

"No matter what people tell you, words and ideas can change the world." ~ Robin Williams

I've paid homage to comedians on this site several times because comedy is a powerful form of philosophy. In fact, by far the most viewed post on this blog is The Philosophy of George Carlin, which I published 6 years ago when he died.

Robin Williams, another brilliant human being lost too soon, is another example of a comedian (and actor) who made us think. How many artists would have the combination of courage, intellect and wit to name their album, Reality...What A Concept?

Humor is an effective tool for reflecting upon the folly of conventional wisdom; entertainment provides quicker access to truth than seriousness because it disarms the audience and allows for the truth to present itself in a more subtle way. Therefore comedy can be considered a form of philosophy and comedians can be considered philosophers.

With that, I leave you with some of Robin's own words:

Robin Williams Quotes

You will have bad times but they will always wake you up to the stuff you weren't paying attention to.

Why do they call it rush hour when nothing moves?

What's right is what's left if you do everything else wrong.

Never pick a fight with an ugly person. They've got nothing to lose.

We had gay burglars the other night. They broke in and rearranged the furniture.

Okra is the closest thing to nylon I've ever eaten. It's like they bred cotton with a green bean. Okra, tastes like snot. The more you cook it, the more it turns into string.

The second amendment says we have the right to bear arms, not to bear artillary.

If it's the psychic network, why do they need a phone number?

I'm sorry, if you were right, I'd agree with you.

But only in their dreams can men be truly free. It was always thus and always thus will be.

You're only given a little spark of madness. You mustn't lose it.

There is still a lot to learn and there is always great stuff out there. Even mistakes can be wonderful.

Thank you Mr. Williams. I am comforted by the thought that anyone who is remembered never really leaves us...

August 01, 2014

Inscribed above the entrance of the ancient Greek temple of Apollo Delphi, site of the sacred Oracle, are the words “Gnothi Seauton”, which translates to Know Thyself. The ancient Greeks and many of the greatest thinkers and philosophers before and after their time taught this lesson: There is no greater knowledge than that of the Self. However human nature is such that knowledge of things outside of the Self—worldly things—is the unfortunate preference.

For mastery of life, you must acquire mastery of Self. An important part of this mastery is to distinguish between knowledge that is helpful and knowledge that is potentially harmful. What do you know and how do you know it? More importantly, what do you not know?

Think of all the knowledge you have obtained to this present day. Where did it come from? What you “know” predominately comes from sources other than you: Your knowledge has come from parents, friends, schools, television, the Internet, and any other information source from which you have received messages. These are sources that tell you, either implicitly or explicitly, what you should be and how you should act.

Truth can be 'created' by the repetition of a lie

Information, truth, and knowledge do not share the same meaning. For example, you may think that you know yourself but how much of this knowledge came from sources other than your Self? And much of this knowledge is just information--it consists of descriptions, labels that point at you but they are not you. Can you see this?

The great 20th century spiritual leader and psychotherapist, Anthony De Mello, said, "We think we know, that is our tragedy; so we never discover." This is similar to the teachings of Socrates, who taught that wisdom is the awareness of one’s own ignorance. And we also find overlap with Lau Tzu’s Taoist teaching from the Tao Te Ching: "One who knows does not speak; one who speaks does not know." This wisdom touches upon the folly of making predictions based upon what we know (or rather what we think we know).

Perhaps Shakespeare draws the most succinct distinction between knowledge and wisdom best: "The fool doth think he is wise but the wise man knows himself to be a fool." And thus we have a lesson for mastery of life: Knowledge is a wonderful tool that can be used to navigate the outer world; however the greatest knowledge for your own mastery of life is of the inner world, which begins with the awareness that there are things that you do not know about your Self.

The tragedy of knowledge is thinking that we know...

This post is an unedited excerpt from my forthcoming book to be publishded later this year. Stay tuned...

April 23, 2014

"I learned this, at least, by my experiment: that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours. He will put some things behind, will pass an invisible boundary; new, universal, and more liberal laws will begin to establish themselves around and within him; or the old laws be expanded, and interpreted in his favor in a more liberal sense, and he will live with the license of a higher order of beings. In proportion as he simplifies his life, the laws of the universe will appear less complex, and solitude will not be solitude, nor poverty poverty, nor weakness weakness. If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them."

Humans are curious beings. We spend the majority of our time building foundations but leave little or no time for living in the actual structure, and this assumes the structure is ever completed.

Foundation-building in life is essentially an act of sacrificing now for the prospect of having something better later. But the key word is "prospect," which implies only a potential for reward in a future that is not certain to come.

Consider some examples of foundation-building:

Studying the subject in college you believe leads to a high-paying job.

Climbing the corporate ladder / building a resume.

Saving for retirement.

Building a foundation is the "responsible" thing to do. But building your castle in the air, to borrow Thoreau's metaphor, is the philosophy of living now as yourself, as opposed to waiting indefinitely to be yourself later, after having built a foundation.

"We have to recognize accident, i.e., the fact that there is no formula, no 'principle', which covers all things; that there is no totality or system of things. And this recognition at once supports a life of 'responsibility and adventure' and leads to scientific discovery." ~ John Anderson

Almost every reflection on life I have ever seen or heard from those who have lived a self-actualized existence says that the risk of (or indifference to) financial failure is essential for achieving the ability to spend more of your time doing what comes naturally, to be your Self, to be self-actualized.

As Thoreau suggests in his famous 'castles in the air' quote, success comes when one "advances confidently in the direction of his dreams." Therefore an act of failure in conventional terms is seen only as a temporary setback for those who live authentically in the present.

But to be self-actualized and enjoy life now does not require financial irresponsibility. All that is required, like all things in life, is a healthy balance of responsibility and adventure.

Now consider other examples of building castles in the air:

Do what you love now and find a way to make the finances work later.

Live where you want to live first and find the job second.

Listen to your inner voice and doubt any other voice you hear.

"What do you think I am doing now?"

For a specific example, what if you could find meaningful work now that you enjoy but it only paid a minimal amount to cover only the bare necessities? You may not be able to "save for retirement" anymore but you would already be in retirement, if you think of it with a healthy perspective: You would build the castle and live in it now, as opposed to spending most of your life building a foundation first. Why save money for "the good life" when you already live the good life?

The idea of 'castles in the air' brings to mind a similar lesson, the fisherman's parable, which is where I will leave you today:

One day a fisherman was sitting by his boat while playing with his child on a beautiful beach; his fishing pole resting against the boat.

A wealthy businessman came walking down the beach, trying to relieve some of the stress of his workday. Curious and horrified at the sight of the fisherman wasting the day, the businessman asked, "Why aren't you out fishing?"

The fisherman looked up at the businessman, smiled and replied, "Because I already caught enough fish for one day." The businessman followed, "Why don't you catch some more?"

"What would I do with them?" replied the fisherman. "You could earn extra money," said the businessman, "then with the extra money, you could buy a bigger boat, go into deeper waters, and catch more fish. Then you would make enough money to buy nylon nets. With the nets, you could catch even more fish and make more money. With that money you could own two boats, maybe three boats. Eventually you could have a whole fleet of boats and be rich like me."

"Then what would I do?" asked the fisherman. "Then," said the businessman, "you could really enjoy life."

The fisherman looked at the businessman quizzically and asked, "What do you think I am doing now?"

April 10, 2014

"I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover I had not lived." ~ Henry David Thoreau, Walden

The woods are a metaphor for reality. Although it may not be easy for most people to just go to the woods in the literal sense, or live in a tiny cabin on some remote pond like Thoreau did, the application of his wisdom is still obtainable in the figurative sense.

Therefore "going to the woods" is simply a way of saying "connecting to reality," which can be done by any means that helps you remove the falseness of the outer world. It can be music, books, or engaging in some form of creative activity. Just do whatever it takes to uncover your authentic Self. And to do this, you find something that helps you to remove the outer noise and clutter, revealing only what is real.

This is why people get it wrong when they say, after having been on a relaxful vacation, "I guess it's time to go back to reality now." But what has occurred is quite the opposite: The world that was visited on the vacation was the real, natural world, and the place where you are returning is the unreal, unnatural one.

Why do you think the most popular vacation destinations are mountains and beaches? It is because nothing is false there; you feel "relaxed" when you experience nature. The scientific explanation is that your human brain has not changed much in the past 5,000 years or so; but the environment today is dramatically different: Every day you have dozens of emails, texts, and social media messages pulling you away from life; you see and hear of the worst tragedies in the world as they occur and unfold; you are exposed to countless marketing messages that suggest you be something other than who you are; and your life is overflowing with things to do and places to be.

In summary, your primitive brain is extremely over-stimulated. And it needs a periodic rest. The lesson here is that you must maintain at least some degree of awareness that the world is full of distracting illusions; and this awareness, or what you may call mindfulness, consciousness or attention, is the proverbial tap on the shoulder that tells you to "go to the woods." Your version of the woods, and the means of getting there, is up to you.

April 03, 2014

"The art of art, the glory of expression and the sunshine of the light of letters, is simplicity." ~ Walt Whitman

Life is simple; we only make it complex. We spend our lives unconsciously covering our authenticity with outer identity until at some point we begin wondering "where everything went wrong." But the tragedy for many people is that the wondering never begins and life's simple beauty is not rediscovered.

I use the word "rediscovered" because you already know that life can be simple because you experienced it as a child. If you are normal, you spent much of your life since then trying to become something other than yourself. But normal is not healthy; success in the unreal world means failure in the real one.

The power and virtue of simplicity is a universal truth; it's wisdom applies to all areas of life. What are some ways you can declutter, simplify and return to your authentic Self? Here are a few ideas that can help.

Instead of finding new things to add to your life, find things to remove.

If you want to increase income, decrease expenses.

Do less thinking and do more wondering.

Turn down the noise.

Go to the woods.

Listen to a child.

As a deep thinker I tend to overthink things. I have to remind myself that thinking less, or even not thinking at all, is often better than thinking more.

And on this note of simplicity, I begin with simplifying my periodic messages to you on this blog, which now has a much more simple look and feel. If you subscribe by email, you can see the blog online by following this link: The Financial Philosopher blog.

There is no reason to spend too much time trying to solve riddles or trying to find things to add. One can only find themselves by removing things, not by adding, and this removal is the foundation of simplicity.

March 13, 2014

"Where some people are very wealthy and others have nothing, the result will be either extreme democracy or absolute oligarchy, or despotism will come from either of those excesses." ~ Aristotle

If you don't have money, it's because you don't have money. A philosopher might call this circular reasoning; but it's scientific fact in the financial world, especially in the past five years.

According to the Federal Reserve, household wealth in the US is at a new record high of $80 trillion, most of which consists of stocks and home equity. Therefore the wealth that evaporated during and immediately following the Great Recession of 2007 to 2009 has been restored, at least in total.

In different words, those fortunates who still had equity of some kind five years ago (and haven't tapped into it since then) have a much higher net worth now than they did prior to 2009. In fact, equity levels in stocks and real estate have grown so much that even the vast number of people not participating in the economic recovery are no longer impacting the national totals negatively. The few pluses are so high that they outweigh the many negatives.

But who is participating in this record wealth?

One could label this financial phenomenon as an example of the "rich getting richer." This is not a moralistic statement but a simple observation of fact. Sure, there are certainly some examples of new wealth being created, but the record high for US household wealth, in total, is primarily a result of extreme growth for a minority and small to negative growth for the majority.

For example, as I write this, the bull market for stocks has turned 5 years old. If you had invested $100,000 in an S&P 500 Index Fund on March 9, 2009, your investment would now be worth over $340,000, assuming 5 years compounding interest at an annualized rate of 25% per year. This is outstanding and nearly unprecedented growth for stocks. But how many people had extra cash sitting around, or the capacity to pump money into their 401(k) plans, 5 years ago?

"The life of money-making is one undertaken under compulsion since wealth is not the good we are seeking and is merely useful for the sake of something else." ~ Aristotle, Nichomachean Ethics.

So it takes money to make money. This, of course, does not include the acquisition of money by means of earning it through a trade: making money is not the same as earning it.

A pure capitalist would disagree with Aristotle, when he says that money should not be used for the purpose of making more money. He would say that the best use of money is for the purpose of the exchange of goods and services but that the use of money for the sole purpose of making more money (i.e. investing and lending) is unnatural and can lead to the degradation of an individual’s character by making them desirous to continue accumulating money, furthermore causing the passions to blindly dominate their reason.

Similarly, the lack of money, especially in a capitalist society, can lead one to falsely beleive they are "behind" or that they are "less than" because they have not participated directly in the economic expansion of a nation. But where is the lesson here? Is there something wrong with making more money with the money you already have, while others are not?

My philosophical observation for this post is that money is not the root of all evil but rather the easiest way to lose oneself. Aristotle may not have been making a prediction about the potential negative outcome of using money for the sole purpose of making more money but he was correct: Financial wealth is not really "the good we are seeking" but it is rather a tool or a means to an end; and that end is to be free enough to be ourselves. But ironically it is difficult to "be yourself" when your first concern is with your money (or lack thereof).

More importantly, neither money nor life are zero sum games. If a billionaire is happy, it doesn't mean that a person with a negative net worth cannot be happy.

February 05, 2014

"One authentic action in reality is worth more than one-thousand inspirations that feed the dream." ~ Kent Thune

Some of you know I've been working on a book, which partially explains my light blog posting frequency lately. If I have an Achilles tendon as a writer, it may be that I do not like publishing anything that is not thoughtful or useful to the reader in some way. Therefore, the more thoughtful and useful, the more time and energy it takes to complete!

I suppose I could lock myself in a room and dedicate more time of the day and night to finish the book but that would have a diminishing effect on the quality of the writing and, more importantly, the quality of life, which is a central theme of the book!

I'm not fond of definitions or labels but this project can be considered an "annotated book of quotations." But unlike most books of quotations, this one is not designed to sit on a coffee table and is not intended for the purpose of providing intermittent inspirations that take the reader farther away from life, rather than closer to it.

Here's a brief excerpt from my forthcoming book to help explain my point:

If the contents of most inspirational books were a food diet, they would consist primarily of sugary snacks—rewarding treats that are quickly consumed, providing you with short bursts of energy but offering very little nutritional value to carry you throughout the day and into the next day. Inspiration feels good to you now but it does not often help you later; it feeds the dream but starves the Self; it is the chocolate cake that is only good while you are eating it.

...However, a mindful menu of thoughts that is consciously constructed can enable you to return to life ready to live—to help you form traits that last, not states that dissolve: One authentic action in reality is worth more than one-thousand inspirations that feed the dream.

And thus you are given a few of the book's primary themes--awareness and authenticity. The book's chapters are sequenced in such a way that the reader will evolve in a progression that begins with reflection on life by the most effective means possible--by beginning at the end--with notes and quotes on death. So, in essence, the reader will be enabled to "wake up" and embrace and clarify life through a progression of chapters, such as presence, awareness, self-knowledge, meaning, purpose, self-actualization, and back to reflecting again.

The current sub-title of the book is "mastery of life," which is my aim for the reader to achieve:

Life is not something to be survived; it is to be lived; and this is what I call mastery of life. This mastery does not mean control, nor does it require perfection. Control is an illusion. You gain control when you let go of the desire for control and end your struggle against nature. Life is simple; there is no reason to make it complex or for you to suffer needlessly. Just recognize what is false, remove it, and you will discover that you are already perfect and that life is a beautiful gift.

I plan to publish the book in the Spring. Thanks for being a part of my journey as a writer. I hope that I have helped you in some small way along the path.

December 19, 2013

"Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. And today? Today is a gift. That's why we call it the present." ~ Babatunde Olatunji

Start a new holiday tradition this year: In addition to giving presents, give yourself presence.

This time of year is unique in that it is one of both reflection and of looking to the future. But ironically this can have an effect of removing you from the present moment, which is life. If you dwell in the past and long for the future, you are not truly living; you are merely surviving.

In the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, as you find yourself getting stressed, slow down and notice what is happening around you...

Here are some helpful tips on how to give yourself presence:

Be Awake:See the beauty of sights around you. Smell wonderful aromas. Listen for the sounds of life--of people, music, and even traffic. Touch things and think of how they feel. Taste your food by eating more slowly and be conscious of the flavors.

Be Mindful: Observe the wind blowing in a tree and watch the movement of the branches and leaves. Remain aware of your footsteps, your breathing, and your thoughts.

Be Quiet: Find a moment to observe silence, both of the outer world and of the inner voice. Find a focal point, such as a burning candle, and allow the repetitive thoughts and daily worries to fade away without force.

Be Easily Amazed: Everything can be amazing--Life, love, a sunset, modern technology, or anything that you experience, even if you have already seen it or felt it a thousand times.

Be With Others: Greet a stranger with a smile. Make eye contact with a loved one and hold your gaze just a little longer than usual. When at a party, or with your family, try listening instead of speaking. Laugh out loud with a child and see the world through their eyes.

Be With Life: Put down the camera (or whatever device you use to take pictures) so you will not ironically miss the experience you are trying to capture.

While the articles often cite statistics that may be informative and truthful, they also perpetuate the unhealthy and untruthful social convention that freedom can only be procured through financial means. And if this financial freedom is not obtained, it means a life of imprisonment because you "work until you die."

This is because, in America, retirement generally refers to the latter years of life where the retiree has escaped the hellish workforce and has survived decades of sacrifice to graze in the proverbial pastures of relaxation, travel and whatever bucket list items have yet to be crossed off the list. But retirement is simply a social norm or convention; it is a financial concept disguised as a personal quest and achievement.

But a good philosopher defines things before making their case; otherwise they may make the fatal error of building an argument upon a false premise. Therefore the wise person will not blindly plan their life around the conventional definition of retirement and expect a positive result. You must define retirement for yourself.

"Restoration to life is in your power; look at things in another way than you have looked at them until now, for in this consists the restoration to life." ~ Soren Kierkegaard

With the prospects of a financially secured retirement extending beyond the grasp of more and more people, it may be time for a more realistic and healthier definition of retirement. Rather than delivering or receiving the work-until-you-die news as a prison sentence, a healthier message is one of a change in perspective: Working until you die can be a gift of a lifetime if your work is meaningful.

If your definition of retirement is simply to do what you love, and accomplishing this goal by financial means is not likely for you, there is only one solution to this challenge (and fortunately it may be the best choice of all): Start looking for ways to make money with work that is meaningful. So when you hear the news that you must work until you die, you become relieved and overjoyed that you are free from the slavery of saving money to procure an illusory freedom.

Finding meaningful work that pays well can be a challenge. But isn't this goal more achievable than saving $2 million by the age of 65, assuming you even live that long, while you work in a job that you do not like? Or perhaps you have done your best to put aside money for later in life but you are likely to fall short of your financial goal. All that you need now is another source of income to supplement your savings.

No matter your level of retirement savings, your retirement plan can and must include obtaining the skills necessary to land that dream job, not the high paying one, the meaningful one. As with the financial planning aspect of retirement savings, your retirement career planning may take several years. This is why you must start now.

Even those who have saved and successfully reached the conventional retirement often find that the so-called "longest vacation of your life" that they were sold is void of meaning and purpose; they had chased after an illusion. In reality, it is interpersonal relationships and meaningful work that provides one with purpose -- a reason to get out of bed each day.

"Have you ever looked back and thought, 'If I had done this or that five years ago I'd be better off now?' But the opportunity was there; why didn't you see it? Are you sure that you are not closing your eyes at this moment to one which you will see later in retrospect?" ~ Dorothea Brande

Now return to my last post, The Most Common Regret of the Dying, and recall that it is often on one's death bed that they can clearly see how they had the opportunity to fulfill a dream but did not recognize it before their health declined.

Now reconcile this regret with the illusion that the majority of life must be sacrificed to reach a goal that may never be obtained unless the economy improves or someone hands you a job that pays you more money and you hate this job less than the current one.

You still have time to do what you love, to discover the joy of working until you die. But to do this you must free yourself from the bounds of social conventions. Saving money for decades may not be your best path to freedom.

I believe you already knew what to do for yourself before reading this blog post. Now it is simply up to you to do it.

Disclaimer

The information on this site is provided for discussion purposes only, and should not be misconstrued as investment advice. Under no circumstances does this information represent a recommendation to buy or sell securities.